The Best Is Yet To Come
by Shalan the Magnificent
Summary: He was the double’s world figure skating champion with her, but foul play can have a deadly outcome. When he meets an up and coming skater from Japan will they rise to the top again? IchiRuki
1. Prologue: Another Day

**Title: **The Best Is Yet To Come

**Summary: **He was the double's world figure skating champion with her, but foul play can have a deadly outcome. When he meets and up and coming skater from Canada will they rise to the top again? IchiRuki

**Shalan's Woo Hoo: **WOOO! I'm writing another to wake me up… XDDD hope you all like this one… it should be fun!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own bleach… but if you've read any of my other stories… I sure do like messing with them XD

**Prologue: **Another Day

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"It'll be alright Ichigo…" Jushiro placed a hand on the skater's shoulder. He was standing next to the bedside of his partner, the woman he had loved, the woman he had skated with for years… the one woman that he had ever known to smack him across the face when he was being stupid.

"Yeah… sure it will be…" the skater's eyes were hidden beneath his bangs, a shadow falling across his eyes. Jushiro wore his sweatpants and his t-shirt that he always wore when they were at a competition. Ichigo squeezed his partner's hand.

Orihime Inoue. She was beautiful, talented and sexy all rolled into one. Her body lay broken on the bed, her left leg was broken in three places and her back was severely broken. Ichigo felt tears well up in his eyes and he leaned down, kissing her hand desperately.

"Please wake up…" He stroked her face tenderly. He knew the only thing that was keeping her alive were the machines… he knew that he would have to let her go… but a part of him didn't want to… he wanted to be able to hold her tightly in his arms, to cradle her and tell her everything would be alright… but he couldn't he knew this… but that didn't mean he didn't want to. "Please my darling… I can't live without you…" tears dripped down his cheeks as he stroked her red hair away from her slightly swollen face.

"Ichigo… let's go…" Jushiro put a hand on his shoulder but the skater pulled away.

"Orihime… you can do it… please…" he whispered and Jushiro tugged him again.

"Ichigo you won't want to see this…" Jushiro tried to get him to leave as a doctor walked into the room.

"NO! YOU CAN'T KILL HER!" Ichigo tried to attack the doctor but Jushiro hooked his arms beneath Ichigo's armpits.

"ICHIGO! Calm down!" Jushiro pulled him back while the young man continued to scream, punching, kicking, hitting anything he could find. Jushiro took him outside and slammed him up against the wall. "You can't control your destiny… you can't decide what happens and what doesn't happen… so she's gone… don't you think about anyone other than yourself?" Jushiro hissed and Ichigo looked him in the eyes. The blue eyes man was furious and nearly crying himself. "I'm destroyed that she's gone but no one asks me if I care… you don't even bother to ask me if I'm alright… listen… you and I are the only ones who knew anything about her besides Tatsuke. So shut up." He jerked him against the wall again and Ichigo stared at him. He had never seen his coach this livid before.

"I'm sorry…" his tears spilled over his mouth and he wrapped his arms around the coach. Jushiro hugged him back. Tatsuke leaned against the wall as the doctors "pulled the plug" and tears welled up in the woman's eyes. So her best friend was gone… forever.

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Ichigo sat on his bed staring at the picture of himself and his fiancé. She looked so happy and carefree, his arms wrapped around her waist as the swooped past the camera, gliding across the ice. There wasn't anyone who could skate or dance like she could.

"Orihime…" He flopped back onto his bed with a deep sigh. He didn't think he'd ever be able to skate professionally again without her… of course… that meant he was out of a job. Not that this bothered him, since he was her next to kin all of her money was pooled together with his giving him a total amount of over four million dollars with money still coming in… but that didn't matter…

What mattered was that the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with was dead… what matter was that she was gone because of their rivals… she was gone because of some stupid prank…

She was gone because… he hadn't protected her… he hadn't been there for her when she needed him the most…

Ichigo closed his eyes… and suddenly… four years had passed…

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She glided backwards across the ice, her arms spread wide, her legs in a perfect line, she swooped around and spun pulling off a double axel perfectly, landing beautifully her body moving in perfect time.

"So she's the one you were talking about…" He whispered to the trainer and she nodded. "She certainly is beautiful… but…" he watched her set her jaw and take on much more speed, spinning elegantly into a triple axel and landed that as well. "She's too fiery for him…"

"She's perfect for him…" the trainer whispered. The blonde looked over at her and lifted an eyebrow. "She's got the power to bring him back to the top where he belongs… she won the gold medal at the winter Olympics last year in the singles…"

"Yeah… the women's singles… not the doubles tournament…" He pointed out.

"She could learn… she's always learned easily… she's perfect for him!" she shook the blonde and he shook his head.

"I'll have to see what he says…" He stood up.

"Thank you Kisuke…" the blonde looked over at the tanned woman and nodded.

"This could be his last chance…" he walked off.


	2. The Skater From Japan

**Chapter: **The Skater From Japan

**Shalan's Whatever:** Yeah… this story is gonna be interesting… I was watching figure skating last night and this suddenly came to me… I now have a dancer/dancer and striker/striker story XDDDDD

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Her hips moved in time with the music, her arms whipping through the air as she came out of a spin, her body aligning again and she jumped up into another axel. She landed again and continued going.

"She's beautiful!" A little girl whispered to another. "Kuchiki-sensei!" She slid across the ice towards the skater who was in an entirely different world.

"Huh?" She slid to a stop backwards and looked at the little girl. "Sorry Yuka… what's up?" She leaned over slightly and smiled at the little girl.

"You look so beautiful when you're dancing like that… can you show us your routine again? The one you did at the Olympics?" She cheered and the other skater children agreed amongst each other…

"I… uhm…" She heard the beginning to Sparkling Diamonds and smiled over at the DJ who shrugged. "I guess you guys have had this planned…" She pulled off her jacket. "I guess I can pull off a few moves…" The young woman threw the piece of cloth as Yuka with a grin and spun in a circle to the center of the rink.

"Uh oh… here she goes…" Kisuke folded his arms, his eyes sparkling with pride. The little girl he had discovered all those years ago was now a big star… and he loved it.

She waited for her to start the music… then… her legs spread wide and she spun herself in a circled, picking up speed while bopping on her toes form time to time. She tipped an imaginary hat at the girls before whipping her body in the air and landed a double axel with ease. She whipped back into her strut and winked at Kisuke, blowing a kiss with the music. He leaned back, putting a foot against the wall.

She moved her hips to the music, twisting her waist as she lifted her hands in the air. She whipped them back down, spinning herself in place; she stopped as the music changed slightly. Her body froze then as Zigler's voice came on her hips moved again, carrying her body forward as she went into another spin, grabbing her skate behind the blade and spinning in a tight circle. Her body whipped back up and continued the spin, she took off again and whipped her leg up as the final few bars played, gliding along beside the girls. They screamed as she pulled her final move, whipping up with her extreme speed the young woman with the amazing spun herself up and spun in the air four times before landing on the ice, one arm over her head in a circle to touch her other cheek, the other curved beneath her breast, one knee bent and the other holding her in place.

"YAAAAY!" The girls skated after her and tackled her into a hug.

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"You sure like to show off…" Urahara fell into step with her as she walked towards her car, her skates over her shoulder.

"It wasn't showing off… they asked me to skate for them…"

"The girl with the quadruple axel is being modest?"

"Shut your face Kisuke…" She shoved him and he laughed, getting into the car with her.

"I'm glad you live here in America… I would never be able to contact you…" He chuckled and she hit him again.

"She called me sensei…"

"It's a title for some one who is an expert in a certain field." He grinned out the window.

"I know that Urahara… it just surprised me…" She put the key in the lock. "Don't you have your own car Kisuke?"

"I have something for you… look at this…" he handed her a newspaper.

"Washed Up Skater Returns To Steamboat?" She asked with raised eyebrows as she turned the car on. The black Toyota 4Runner had a black leather interior with seat heaters so she loved it. "What's that all about?"

"I mean… do you know who it is?"

"Nope…" She shook her head. The 17 year old honestly didn't care anyways… not that it was her being rude… she just had more important things to do than worry about something other than skating, dancing or school.

"I wish you could sing…" he sighed lightly and she looked over at him.

"I wish you weren't so lazy but I don't hate you for it…" She retorted with a laugh.

"Hey! I got you all those jobs didn't I?"

"Yeah… so… look at you, you're sitting in a teenager's car with no shame…"

"So you're taking me home!" He grinned as she drove out of the city.

"You are stupid… the stupidest person I know…"

"Stupidest isn't a word… I keep telling you that…"

"Yeah… right… you're telling the girl with the 4.3 and is a professional skater

Yeaaaah… I'm not too smart…" She pointed out and he shrugged.

"You brag more about your grades than your medals there is definitely something wrong with that…" He said as he bit into a candy bar. He was scrunched up in the seat next to her around his candy bar like a crazy axe killer was going to jump on the car and kill him for his candy bar at any second.

"What's wrong with that Kisuke…" She asked as she drove into the house that they lived in.

"What's wrong with that? Explain this to me again… WHY are you so stupid?"

"You're stupid_er_…" she laughed as she parked the car. "I don't get rides from teenage girls…"

"Your car is always parked in front of mine… I can't get out…"

"You could pull it out and keep it in front of the house… that way I can't park in front of it."

"You probably would anyways."

"Then you could back out!" She opened the door, pulling her messenger bag with her.

"You're so hard to talk to…" He gasped and followed her.

"I don't see why you couldn't build a rink in the basement…" She pulled off her snowy boots and set them on the pad on the interim of the house.

She walked through the living room, kitchen and down a hallway, she turned to the left and walked up a set of hidden stairs to the loft upstairs.

"Dinner'll be in like… whenever time your useless choreographer gets home…" he looked at his watch and frowned again. "If she EVER gets home…" Kisuke folded his arms.

"Yeah…" She shouted down at him as she walked past her bathroom door into her bedroom. The wooden floors beneath her feet squeaked slightly as she walked over to the glacier blue laptop that sat open on her window seat. The huge bay window was next to her bed, making her bed seem a little larger as there was a pillow next to the huge white mattress.

A TV was in one corner of the room, a DVD player sat on top of it but she wasn't paying attention to it. Along the far wall from the window, which over looked the mountains near their house, was a dresser inside of a closet, on top of the dresser were trophies and medals, a few certificates… but they were discarded. On the floor of the closet were shoes, heels, tennis shoes, sandals, boots but mostly there were skates. Clothes hung from hangers behind the partially closed doors and clothes also hung out of the drawers, as if she had been looking for something.

A wooden beside table was set beside the daybed with a lamp and a cell phone charger on it. Her regular phone, a silver little thing, was sitting on the desk where she had thrown her messenger bag. There were posters of skaters and dancers on her walls and hung above her bed was a poster that a fan had written for her in Japanese characters which read:

Rukia

Queen of the Ice

Adapt and Overcome

She had loved it and asked for it in return for a signed shirt from her. The fan had eagerly agreed and Rukia had received the beautifully written poster. She let her fingers glide over the keyboard as she signed in and waited for her MSN to come up.

"Please tell me I have mail…" she whispered under her breath and was stunned when she had ten. "Yes…" she sat down in the window seat and began to reply to them until one caught her eye but only three words were what she saw. "…Kuchiki…Talent Show…" She blinked and clicked on it…

"KISUKE!" She stormed down the stairs and he looked over. "KISUKE!" She jumped into his arms.

"Whoa!" He laughed and swung her around. "I haven't seen you this excited since… you won the Olympics…"

"THIS IS BIGGER THAN THAT!" She danced around with a childish grin on her face.

"Alright… did you win the lottery?"

"NO!"

"Did you… do… Yoruichi?" he blinked as the usually happy women sulked in.

"WHAT? NO!" She shrieked then noticed what he was looking at. "Yoru-Yoruichi!" She hopped over and hugged the woman tightly and Yoruichi grinned softly.

"Hey punk… what are you doing?" She smiled and Rukia shrugged.

"I MADE IT INTO MY HIGH SCHOOL TALENT SHOW!" She laughed hysterically and then fell over with a choking noise.

"WHOA!" Kisuke grabbed her. "You alright…" He looked at her as she continued to shake with excitement. "That's not that big…"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" She jumped up. Yoruichi slapped her forehead. "THIS IS HUGE!"

"You've been to the Olympics… why the hell do you want to be in a school talent show?" He asked her curiously.

"WOOO!" She turned her back to them and wiggled her butt. Yoruichi slapped it.

"Stop yelling or the neighbors with complain again…" She walked into the kitchen.

"What's wrong with you?" Kisuke followed, leaving the enthusiasm filled skater in the other room.

"Kurosaki is in town with his rep and coach… I don't know what they're doing though… and Hisagi's broken his ankle…"

"Boy, you've had a day filled with sorrow…" He hugged her too as Rukia reappeared in the room.

"Yeah… I have… quit bouncing!" Rukia bounded over to the fridge like a puppy after a laser light.

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Ichigo frowned at his representatives… they had dragged him to Steamboat, Colorado for two weeks… for nothing and they'd already wasted four days of their precious lives. "Why are we here again?" He blinked over at Jushiro and Izuru who blinked back.

"We're here to see your new partner…" Jushiro grinned.

"I have a new partner?" He lifted an eyebrow and the other two nodded.

"She's a young one but she's versatile and easily molded into whatever you want her to be…" Jushiro grinned and Ichigo frowned slightly. She wouldn't be as good as Orihime… no one ever would be.

"Just humor us please Ichigo… we can't stand to see you suffer any longer…" Izuru pleaded his hands.

"Fine… I'll humor you but I'm not going to like it…" Ichigo looked out the window. "Is there a rink around her somewhere…"

"You gonna go skate?"

"No Jushiro… I'm going to go and rub my naked butt on the ice because I like it… what else am I going to do…" He said sarcastically. (I was laughing when I wrote this XDDDD I nearly wet myself…)

"No need to get nasty…" Jushiro retorted as Izuru laughed at the comment.

"You're going to skate naked?" Izuru blinked and Ichigo stormed out with his duffel.

"He's long gone by now…" Jushiro laughed. "But she's probably there… maybe he'll skate with her…"

"Why do we get up so early?" Izuru looked at the clock which read four thirty.

"You do because you hear us… I get up because I have to stretch him out before he skates…"

"But he hasn't skated in months…"

"Nope… he's been skating by himself… thinking I believe…" Jushiro folded his arms… "He's coming around…"

"As long as he doesn't kill himself…" Izuru grumped and walked back into the bedroom.

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She listened to the music as she skated slowly around the rink. Seasons of Love… she loved that song.

She whipped her leg up and flipped herself into the air and she flipped over, landing on the ridged tips of her skates, nearly impossible… but the queen of the ice could do anything… so she thought.

"HEY! JIM! GIVE ME A FAST SONG!" She waved at the DJ who nodded at her. He always showed up this early in the morning to watch her skate… he was also a physical therapist that made sure she stretched well before hand. I Like The Way came on and she nodded her head. "Yeah… REALLY FUNNY!" She scraped ice as him as she skated off, her hips swaying with the movement.

"DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID! I'M GOING TO GET A CUPPA!" The man yelled as he walked out.

"Yeah!" She picked up speed and flew into the air, went for the quad and landed it perfectly, swooping out of it backwards. "Yes… I have got it down…" She glided past the locker room and twisted her body, spinning herself in place.

Her heart picked up as she swung her leg, pulling herself into a spin as her body felt the rhythm of the music as she tilted her head back, grabbing onto her skate as she spun in a circle. Her heart beat was slow and steady, tilling with the music.

Ichigo walked out of the locker rooms and set his bag down, taking off the blade covers and walking towards the ice. He froze as his toe stepped onto the ice as he watched her flip into the air again and her body twisted once, twice, three times… and then the magical four as she landed, her eyes closed.

The music changed and the Moulin Rouge CD came on, playing Hindi Sad Diamonds… he stared as she swung around in a circle, her body keeping him in the song, he skated out towards her, knowing she was oblivious to his presence… Orihime had been like that as well…

Her blade swung up and her arms went out as she soared across the ice, she had the straightest legs he had ever seen. Her body completely parallel to the ground… she opened her eyes and skated backwards, still oblivious to his presence and he noticed something off in her rhythm… she obviously had never skated in doubles before. He skated over and while the music was silent his hands clasped her waist lightly.

"Just follow my lead…" he told her and she froze for a second letting him drag her along the ice. "Don't ask questions just do it…" he pulled her backwards so her butt hit his pelvis, seamlessly, and he moved backwards, guiding her body with his as they skated to the song.

She felt him shift his body about to turn around and glided back around with him. He was an amazing skater… but she wondered who he was. He spun her around and let her skate backwards while facing him. His amber eyes bored into her cerulean as his hands gripped her waist tightly and she knew what he was going to do… he was going to throw her. "Now lets see if you can do that quad again…" he picked up speed and easily tossed her into the air and he watched as she spun once, twice, three times but her form was off, he skated as fast as he could when she spun the fourth and caught her before she fell onto the ice.

"Why didn't you come down?" he asked her as he set her down by the wall and she shrugged.

"I wanted to see if I could do it…" Her blue eyes were bright with excitement and her cheeks were flushed from the biting cold of the rink but he could tell that she was almost breathless with enthusiasm.

"So you two have met…" A voice spoke out from behind them. "Good."

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Please read and review guys… I always loved reviews… XD them reviews keep I alive! XDDDD and maybe my grammar… XD send me some reviews! I won't ever post anything ever again if I dun get sum reviews! XD

Shalan


	3. Absolutely Not

**Chapter: **Absolutely Not!

**Shalan's Waaaa**: XDDDDD I'm having fun with this story already… but yeah… can you all do something for me? I want you all to have my godfather in your prayers tonight… and every night… he's dying from brain cancer… he's in stage four so the only hope is prayer… please pray for him… please ask whatever god you believe in to help him… Whether you're Buddhist, Christian, Catholic, Islamic… and whatever I can't remember or don't think about… please dear god… please pray that he'll be alright… please pray for a miracle for me… if you do that… I… I can't do anything for you… but I… I just want him to be alright… and for me, being Christian… prayer is the only road I can go since I'm not a doctor… I know people will flame me for leaving this message calling me stupid and that I'm not very smart asking people I don't know to pray but if you'd pray for me… please… I'm just an author that you read… I just write stories… so please… please please please… I'm begging you to ask whatever god you believe in to spare him… to let him stay with us… and I know there will be those of you who tell me that there's nothing I can do… there's nothing I can do to keep him from dying… but I know I can't keep him from dying… I just don't want him to die before I can see him again… I just want more time with him… so please… please keep him in your prayers and in your thoughts… thank you… for reading if you bothered… because it means a lot to me… it really does…

This Story Is Dedicated to William Guy Groniger.

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Ichigo smiled lightly as he easily lifted her, spinning in a circle slowly before lowering her as her legs hooked around his waist, he spun again, his hands holding her wrists as hers held his. It was and exhilarating experience, to have another person relying on you again. He swung her free of him and spun her around into his arms. Their hips pressed tightly together they moved in sync, her head to one side and his to the other and he spread his legs slightly, sliding her through and out behind him and he spun to catch her again, pulling her up against him again and she laughed as he spun her on her blade for a few seconds.

"You two are horrible!" Jim skated out onto the ice and clapped his hands.

"You're the one who told us to have fun!" She laughed as the older man pushed her away, pulling her back in rhythm of the music, placing his hands on her waist only centimeters from her ass. He knew he still had no idea who the hell she was but she was fun to skate with. Her personality was the complete opposite to his, she was fiery and free spirited when he tended to be more cautious and calm. He thought she was funny.

"Yeah! Hey…" He slid to a stop and she bumped into him lightly. "What's your name?" He smiled down at her and she grinned.

"None of your business…" that childish side came out again. She had the body of a woman but the personality of a hyperactive teenager. He wondered who she was.

"HEY! RUKIA!" She heard Kisuke's voice.

"YEAH!" She had her back to Ichigo's trunk, their hips moving to the upbeat song, he was guiding her backwards on the ice. 

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?" He pointed at his watched and she looked at Ichigo's.

"OH SHIT!" She broke away and tried to run across the ice, only succeeding in falling down in the meantime. She waved at Ichigo and scrambled off. "SEE YOU LATER DUDE!" She disappeared into the locker rooms while Kisuke leaned down and scolded her.

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"So you met her?" Jushiro asked him and Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean so I met her?" Ichigo blinked as he was handed a flier. "Kuchiki Rukia, one night only at the Steamboat Rink… performing her latest routine… wait…" His eyes landed on the picture. "Are you saying that the girl I skated with this morning was Kuchiki Rukia?" He blinked over at the two of them and they nodded.

"The Olympic gold winner? Yeah… that's her…" Izuru pointed. "We want you to watch her tonight at the talent show… they're having it on the rink… just for her… she'll be the first performer…" He smiled and Ichigo blinked at him.

"Is this the woman you want me to partner with?" He blinked at them and they nodded again.

"Yes Ichigo… we believe she's perfect for you… and almost better in talent than her…" Ichigo stared at them then shook his head.

"No… no… absolutely not…" He stood up. "She's far too young… people will think I'm a pedophile…" Ichigo walked off.

"The first time you two would perform together she would be eighteen if that helps…" Jushiro suggested and Ichigo turned around.

"Partners have to be in rhythm and in sync… they can't just be thrown together like dolls…"

"You're an idiot… we worked hard to find you a partner… now the least you can do is come watch her dance." Jushiro grinned and Ichigo frowned. He couldn't believe he was doing this…

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"I'm nervous…" She said to Kisuke and he rolled his eyes. She walked up behind him, her long black hair was pulled back in long spiral curls away from her face.

"You look beautiful…" he smiled at her and she smiled lightly back. Her tight white dress sparkled every time she moved, it looked as thought it strapped up her neck but in fact the low cut white was stretched around tan fabric. The back was open with tan fabric all along her skin down to her tailbone. The short loose skirt hung barely to her mid thigh, shimmering slightly as she shifted. Her tan hose ran down covering the white skates. Her black hair was pulled back in a tight curled updo with a silver and diamond clip in it. Her brilliant blue eyes were lit with fire as she stood patiently by the gate to introduce her. Her diamond earrings sparkled as she looked over at her choreographer.

"Don't worry… you're going to do great!" Yoruichi whispered and Rukia smiled as she heard her name and her song. She slid out silently onto the ice, placing herself in the middle of the rink.

She dropped to the ice, positioning her body almost flat against it with one blade against the frozen solid, her face towards the audience. She knew that once the music began she would have to move quickly and as she waited for the music to play her eyes searched the crowd and they landed on the man that she had skated with earlier in the day. She felt her heart stop, a man that good was watching her?

She heard the opening notes and suddenly she wasn't Rukia Kuchiki, high school student, she was Rukia Kuchiki, sexy as hell professional skater. She lifted up silently as the first few haunting notes of Bring Me To Life. Her body unfolding from its position on the ground as she moved slowly, skating away from her position though as soon as she was moving the music changed and she whipped up, pulling off a double axel with ease, her hands slid down her body as she played the audience, motioning to the sky as the music played.

Ichigo watched her body move, wondering how she did it, draw him in like that. He should be used to it as he watched her white figure slide across the ice like an angel. Her legs whipped into the air as he leaned forward, her arms spreading by as she swooped by the audience. Her body twisted and she came into a tight spin as the man sang his solo.

She came back up, dragging her hands up her own body sensually and up her throat as the chorus came back on again and she swung her leg up, spinning herself in place then she took off again, skating up to high speeds, performing several moves before the long note came and she whipped up into the air pulling into a quadruple axel and landing it perfectly as the song ended and she froze in place, her hands pressed to her heart, her chest heaving, one foot out to the right, the other pointed forward but held behind her. Her head was back, exposing her pale neck to him and he suddenly realized that she had drawn him in, he was feeling the emotion that she had been trying to send… the emotion of pain.

"I know what you mean…" he whispered as the place suddenly burst into applause and cheers. Flowers littered the rink and she panted as she did a lap around the rink then skated off the ice into the arms of her coach. Kisuke squeezed her.

"You are so beautiful…" he whispered and planted a kiss on her cheek. She grinned up at him and squeezed him back.

"Thank you… but I almost screwed up at the beginning…" She laughed and walked off towards the locker rooms on her skates. "I'm going to change…" she walked off and she walked into the locker rooms.

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"So did you like what you saw?" Jushiro asked nonchalantly. Ichigo stood up.

"I'll skate with her…" He nodded and Jushiro grinned.

"I knew you'd come around…"

"Yeah… let's go talk to her now…" He walked off and Jushiro blinked, following him.

"You are one crazy dude…" Jushiro told him as they walked towards the locker rooms. Ichigo froze as he reached out for the door handle.

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"Absolutely not…" She had walked out. She skated alone… she always did… there was no way to skate with another person. She frowned as she stormed into her car and slammed the doors, bursting into tears as she did. Her entire body was shaking as she pressed her forehead against the steering wheel. What would Kaien say? She thought to herself. Her boyfriend had died of cancer only four months before… she had always relied on him for answers… and now he was dead… so very dead that she couldn't believe it.

A knock on her window made her jump and she looked over, a smiling Ichigo Kurosaki opened the door and leaned in. "What's up?" He smiled at her and she stared back.

"This was all your idea…" She frowned at him.

"Actually… I was completely against it before I saw you skate… please come skate with me…"

"No! Absolutely not!" She turned away from him and suddenly a hand gripped her face, turning her lips against his and he clasped his lips over hers. He knew that she was far too young for him but he also knew that this was the only way to get her to understand how much he needed her.

She broke under his touch, her mind flaring as his scintillating kiss drove her mad. His lips changed pressure easily, taking her from maddening force to slow and deadly. His tongue soared into her mouth, tracing every part as quickly as possible before he immediately drew away.

"Call me when you come up with your answer…" he smiled and pushed a card into her hand and waved as he walked off. She stayed there, her car door open, Urahara, who had been getting into the car was jaw dropped and his eyes were wide. Even Yoruichi stared at her waiting to see what the young woman would do. She turned in her seat and put her hands on the steering wheel as she closed her door.

"He's going to pay…" She spat and backed up as the other two slammed their doors. She sped off and the others held on for dear life. "AND WHY THE HELL CAN'T YOU TWO TAKE THE FREAKIN' BUS OR SOMETHING?" She shouted at them.

Yep… hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…

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ANYWAYS! LEAVE ME A MESSAGE OR I WON'T POST ANOTHER!

Shalan


	4. Slumber Party

**Chapter: **Slumber Party

**Shalan's Say: **yeah… I got my new computer today… and I am extremely happy! YAY! Clap for me my dearest friends! THANKS FOR YOUR REVIEWS! XDDDDDDDD

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She slid backwards along the ice, her rear-end pressed tightly against Ichigo's pelvis. His hands gripping her waist as they skated. He lifted her off the ice and her legs wrapped around his waist, her hands gripping his tightly as he shifted his leg, holding her up. She faltered, her hand slipping and she tumbled away from him and slid. He stopped and stared at her.

"God damn… can't you do anything right Kuchiki?" He hissed at her and Jushiro threw up his arms. There they went again. The two had been living in the same house, in the same conditions, getting up at nearly 3:30 in the morning to practice, going to sleep at nearly 11 PM after she did her homework… yeah… the two of them were getting sick of seeing each other.

"I'm sorry if my palms are sweaty KUROSAKI!" She stopped her skate into the ice. "So why don't you SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" She flicked him off and stormed off the ice. "THIS IS THE END!" She shouted at Jushiro and disappeared into the locker rooms.

"This is IT!" Ichigo fumed from the ice. Jushiro blinked over at him and Ichigo stared back. "WHAT?" He fumed.

"I was just thinking that the two of you are acting like children. Ichigo you're a fully grown man… you shouldn't be acting like this… even she shouldn't be… though you're four years older." Jushiro wiggled a finger at Ichigo and he scoffed. "You're a twenty two year old… she's nearly 18! You two NEED to learn to act like adults… I expect more out of you!"

"Yeah yeah… spare me the lectures Jushiro…" he folded his arms and Jushiro threw his hands into the air.

"How am I supposed to be your coach if the two of you can't even get along?" Jushiro folded his arms and Ichigo glared back.

"I'm sorry…" they both turned as Rukia slid along the ice behind Ichigo and he stared at her. "I'm sorry for being so stupid… I shouldn't have shouted at you… I'm just frustrated… you're really rough sometimes…" Her eyes were averted to the ground.

"I'm sorry… I'm not quite used to you being so light yet…" he looked away, it was true, Orihime had been heavier than Rukia, he knew it but for some reason this wasn't the reason that he was being so rough. When he was frustrated with something he got rough with it, and he was frustrated with her.

"That's a load of bull…" she folded her arms, shifting her weight to one foot. "Look… just get over it and let's skate…" She skated over to him and he smiled down at her.

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm the adult or you…" He smiled as his hands gripped her waist.

"Obviously it's me…" She told him and he chuckled.

&&&

She sighed as the hot water rushed over her body, washing the soap out of her hair.

She brushed her long black hair out after she had gotten out and blow dried.

She did everything that she usually did… but there was one thing that was wrong.

"Hey! Have you ever thought about being faster?" Ichigo sauntered into the bathroom, in all his morning glory. She always thought that the older man was more attractive early in the morning. He had a rough red beard on his face and his hair was messier than usual, usually tossed over to the left side, he always slept on his right side so his hair was pushed to the left.

"Have you ever thought about being patient?" She shot back and he lifted his hands, that was when she saw the little box in his palm.

"Happy birthday…" the skater wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder and she smiled, taking the package.

"You didn't have to get me a present…" she beamed as she opened it. His grin widened as he heard her gasp.

"It's called a good luck ring… my father gave me one when I started skating…" He held up his right hand where a silver band was placed on his ring finger. "So I thought that I should give you one… even though you haven't just started…"

"Thank you! It's beautiful!" She turned around and hugged him tightly and he nestled his face against her neck. She smelled good after she took a shower. She was his partner; it was okay for him to be over protective? Wasn't it? It was okay for him to linger a little longer in her arms to get another breath of her scent… wasn't it? It was okay for him to watch her sleep at night when he woke up from a nightmare… letting her presence calm him… wasn't it?

"Thanks… I picked it out especially for you…" The small silver band was set with a diamond and two rubies in a swirl of silver.

"You are too nice to me sometimes…" she smiled into his warm skin and he reveled in it.

"It's to make up for the roughness in practice… I'm sorry that I've been so horrible to you…" she kissed him on the lips tenderly. He froze and she pulled away, walking past him.

"Today's my birthday Kurosaki… I don't need apologies…" she disappeared into her room and he stared at the same spot where she had been. Had she just kissed him?

"GOOOOD MORNING CHILDREN!" Kisuke swung into the hallway and saw Ichigo standing, dumb struck in the same place. "Hey… you… okay?" Urahara blinked but snapped a picture of it with his camera anyways.

"URAHARA!" He heard the male skater roar and Urarhara disappeared into Rukia's bedroom, shutting the door behind himself and leaning against the door as Ichigo banged on it. "DAMN IT! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!"

"A normal morning in our household…" Rukia chuckled and Urahara nodded to her. She stood before him in a pair of jeans and a tight pink t-shirt with the words "Ice Queen" across the chest.

"How appropriate…" Kisuke noted and she nodded.

"Yes… how…" She smiled.

&&&

She laughed as her friends walked in. Isane, a pretty girl with lavender hair was in a long white skirt, usual for her. Her lithe body was obviously that of a dancer. Rangiku, the oddball of the bunch, she wore a short jean skirt with leggings and a tight black t-shirt under her coat and Momo, a shy girl with black hair who deemed herself Rukia's best friend.

Ichigo had been siphoned off into his bedroom for the night and he was only allowed to come out when they were shut up in her bedroom. And he had to make sure that she was in there before he walked around. They didn't want him to make the girls start spreading rumors about Rukia sleeping with him… Especially about him living with them.

Ichigo sighed as he sat in his room, his arms folded back behind his bed. He hated listening to those girls giggle away through the wall… he looked over at the door and noticed his neatly folded towel that Yoruichi had set there for him earlier in the day. A thought came to him and he smiled devilishly as he walked out of the room with a chuckle.

Rukia sat, talking to the other girls on her bed. Momo sat on the bed next to her and Rangiku was on the floor. Isane was upside down, her body hanging off the bed.

"Okay… so what about this one?" She pointed at a picture of a long dress and Momo shook her head.

"No… that's no good… It's too big in the chest…" Momo protested.

"True… but…" Rukia flipped to the next page.

"So who are you going with to prom?" Rangiku asked from the floor and Rukia turned pink. She hadn't even thought about that. Then she heard something that dismayed her even more. The sound of a shower starting. Her face darkened. She was going to kill him.

"I'm not sure…" She flipped through to the next page.

"Then make up your mind, there a ton of guys you could go with…" Isane told her from her position.

"Yeah… but none of them are the guy that I want… if you get my drift." Rukia shrugged and she heard the water stop.

"Hey Rukia…" The door swung open and there he stood, in all his manly glory, a towel held around his hips by his left hand, exposing the line of dark orange hair down his navel. His hardened flesh rippled beneath tanned skin.

"WHAT the hell are you DOING?" She pointed at him. "PUT ON CLOTHES KUROSAKI!" She threw a pillow at him.

"Sorry…" He grinned, his orange hair plastered to his head. Rukia turned her head towards her friends, all of which were jaw dropped. Isane dropped off the bed onto her stomach as she stared at him and she could have sworn she saw a steady stream of spit from Rangiku's mouth. Momo's mouth was almost touching the bed and Rukia threw another pillow at him.

"I HATE YOU!" She threw another pillow at him and he laughed, ducking out of the room.

She was going to get him back for this… oh yes… she was going to get him back.

&&&

XDDD

That was a fun chapter… anyways… I have to go work on Somewhere… MUST GET TO ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS BEFORE I POST ANOTHER CHAPTER PEOPLE! I mean… one hundred on Somewhere… not this one…

Shalan


	5. El Tango De Roxanne

**Chapter:** El Tango De Roxanne

**Shalan's Song:** WOOO! How is everybody? It's been a while since I last updated this story… of course… a while for me is like…………… two days XDDDD Here's the next hare-brained chapter of The Best IS Yet To Come

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She sighed lightly in the locker rooms to the ice rink. Ichigo sat beside her, his fingers laced together, his chin on his hands. "This is going to be the death of me…"

"Don't worry about it Ichigo, it's just an expeditionary… we're not actually performing in a competition…" She chewed on her nails and he looked over at her.

"Yeah… that's why you're chewing your nails…" Ichigo spat. She hissed something under her breath that he didn't understand.

Ever since her friends had seen him in her house the rumors had spread, she had sleeping with a 20 year old man. He was her husband, he had gotten her pregnant, she was a whore and men came over to her house just to sleep with her and her beautiful choreographer.

She had wanted to kill him… but instead… she humiliated him… and he her

&&&

She crept into his room the night before and had taunted him outside into the crisp Colorado air. He had followed her curiously and that was when it began.

Her lips met his and he was stunned. She unbuttoned his shirt and ripped it off, slamming his back against the wall. He kissed back with just as much force as she had applied and slid his hands up between her skin and her shirt. She easily unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants.

He almost stopped but lust had already taken over his mind. She was still a little girl compared to him and it bothered him somewhat, but as her hands brushed over his nether regions he groaned into her mouth. Who cared? His jeans dropped around his feet and he pulled them off, it was a tad weird that they were outside and she pulled away, their breaths rising as steam before their faces, a shiny strand of saliva hanging between them as they dove back in.

Her face was heated, furious red, she could hardly breathe, his presence was overwhelming and she felt the air temperature rise. His hand yanked her tank top down and found one of her breasts, round and pert, young and tight. He felt rather like a pedophile but that flew his mind as she pushed against his hand, egging him on. _'Jesus…_' he then wondered what this was all about. He wondered what she was doing out here with him… egging him towards sex… then his questioned was answered. She pulled away, dove down, pulling his boxers with her and grabbed his clothes, disappearing inside. His hands immediately went down to cover himself. "FUUUCK!" He shouted, he had been fooled all to easily by a teenage girl.

"HAHAHA!" He heard her laugh from above him. He tried opening the door. 'Fuck it's cold out here..' his mind seemed only to comprehend this.

"LET ME BACK IN THE DAMN HOUSE!" He shouted at her. She shook her head. "AT LEAST THROW ME A TOWEL OR SOMETHING!" He heard her laugh harder.

"SERVES YOU RIGHT! MAYBE I'LL LET YOU STAY OUT THERE!" She laughed and slammed the window shut."KUCHIKI! LET ME BACK IN THE FUCKING HOUSE! RIGHT NOW!" He shouted at her and trotted back to the door hopefully.

What Kisuke saw standing behind the house was a figure that made him laugh. Ichigo Kurosaki in all his naked glory was standing at the back door with blue lips looking like a lost puppy. But as soon as he opened the door the naked skater stormed past him and up the stairs.

Yoruichi stared at him as he walked by naked. "Hmmm…" then she laughed. He looked pissed. "I wonder what happened there…" She asked Kisuke and he shrugged.

Ichigo stormed into him room, pulling on fresh boxers and jeans. He yanked a long sleeved shirt over his head and walked out towards her door as he pulled on his socks.

"YOU'RE GOING TO GET WHAT'S COMING TO YOU KUCHIKI!" He shouted and tried to open the door. 'Of course it's locked Kurosaki…' he frowned and slammed his hands against the door and felt it give slightly. No… that was not the way to do this. He would wait until the opportune moment.

His moment came when he heard the shower start. He grinned behind his magazine and put it down.

This was going to be the best payback he could ever give her. He walked down the hallway towards the bathroom and pulled out the key to the handle. He unlocked the door and walked into the bathroom. "KUROSAKI!" She screamed as he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" she struggled against his muscular arms trying to get free but he was too strong. He carried her to the window and threw her out. It wasn't much of a drop but she fell, naked, to the ground in front of all of her neighbors… did I mention that she was naked?

That was how they had come to terms. She had eventually apologized her for actions after she sprained her ankle in the fall… and Ichigo had apologized for being a jerk to her and ruining her reputation… and for once, there was peace in the house.

&&&

She looked over at him and he looked back, then looked down. She wore a striking black and crimson dress that looked open in the back to her tailbone and it opened down in front of her bellybutton, flames of black covered her modest breasts and part of her flat tummy. It hung down on one side to her knee and just past it. The other side it went up to her hip. It was tight and was mostly black, the frill around the bottom of the skirt was scarlet and there was a scarlet strip up the arm to the neck of the outfit. Her black hair was pulled back in an elegant braid which ended to the left in a bun. Attached to the bun was a brilliant red flower clip.

He wore a pair of long black pants with an open black vest. Around his neck were two black strings attached to one was a cross. His orange hair was messy as usual but he looked nervous. He was fiddling with the hem of his vest and she noticed this.

"Ichigo…" she placed a hand on his shoulder and he kissed it.

"Bring me good luck tonight…" he looked up at her and she smiled.

"Ichigo… we've practiced this routine a hundred times… if you make me too uncomfortable I may forget it…" she grinned and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her up against his side. She leaned on him. Over the past few months he had become something of a brother to her, a sexy as hell brother that she had kissed passionately a few nights back…

"I know… I know…" He pressed his face into her stomach, he had never been this nervous before… not that he could remember. He felt her trembling and knew she was just as nervous as he was. "We'll be alright…" he closed his eyes and listened to her heart beat. His forehead pressed against her tummy. Her hands resting on his shoulder she tilted her head down in a silent prayer. She prayed that she would be allowed to screw up this time… and as they slid out onto the ice she suddenly felt a weight lift. Out on the ice they were Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki… they weren't two human beings intertwined in a psychotic romance… they weren't a high school student and a fully grown man… no… they were two ice skaters… they were Kurosaki and Kuchiki, the best skaters on the planet… and nothing was going to stop them.

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He settled himself, his pelvis held firmly against hers, one of her long legs wrapped around his waist, the other holding her in place as she leaned back, her head nearly touching the ground. She closed her eyes and waited as she shifted slightly, settling himself against her. If this were any other time the position would have been erotic, not that it wasn't erotic to have his nether regions pressed tightly against hers. She knew what he looked like naked and that image invaded her mind as she hung from his waist. She was glad he had the ability to control himself… and she herself… otherwise… they probably would have torn the other's clothes off by now.

Not that either of them would admit to how stimulating it really was to be held so tightly against the other. The music began and she slowly lifted up, her leg still hooked around his waist. Her breasts pressed against his bare chest and he almost flinched as she slid her other leg back, sliding her body down his. She dropped, her knees never hitting the ice. He was extremely professional and as her lips passed near him. He shuddered lightly as her lips travelled back up his muscular stomach and chest as the music suddenly became stronger and he stepped her back. She followed him and they were off, he slid her along the ice, spinning her slightly before they took off gliding. His hand on her waist at all times. She spun away from him and pulled off one of her famous quads with ease, her fingers brushing his chin, seemingly bewitching him into following her as she slid backwards out of the axel.

He followed and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her up against him and they moved in unison as the next part of the song came on.

_His eyes upon your face…_

He swung her around and she slammed against him, her body meeting his, a leg wrapping around his waist as he slid his hands along it. He grabbed her ankle and spun her, their bodies aligning and swinging them around in a wide circle, coming back together she pushed away from him as the music built. She skated away and beckoned to him as the violin challenged him.

The song started again and he slid after her, they picked up speed, pulling off a synchronized double axel and he grabbed her improvising much to Yoruichi's dismay and with the last strand of music threw her into the air. She gritted her teeth and spun into her quad, landing it, sliding backwards, sliding her hand along Ichigo's chin as she slammed her body back against his her leg hooked around his waist, his hand on her heart between her breasts, his face buried in her neck, her back arced.

The crowd around them erupted into a chorus of cheers as their chests heaved. They had pulled it off without a hitch. Their eyes locked together and a warm embrace followed, his arms wrapped around her waist , lifting her up, her arms wrapped around his neck. "We did it…" she panted and he nodded. They grasped hands and bowed to the crowed, either side and skated around the rink waving until they left the ice.

What was waiting for them was not what they expected. Ichigo had expected Yoruichi to be pissed but instead her arms were thrown around their necks. "You two are amazing!" She then slapped them both across the face. They blinked.

"It was his idea…" she pointed at Ichigo and he looked over at her.

"It was… not…" he smiled and Yoruichi pointed.

"We're going home and talking about this…"

&&&

UH OH!

Stupid Ichigo! He got them in trouble with Yoru-Yoruichi!

Dance dance

Shalan


	6. Salsa

**Chapter: **Salsa

**Shalan's Dance: **YAY! The chapter I've been waiting for… _dances_… this chapter it going to be more exciting than any other… expect it to be hot and sexy… and maybe even a little funny… join me on the next emotional roller coaster of… THE BEST IS YET TO COME! I love you all

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Yoruichi grinned as Rukia stumped into the dance studio where they practiced their routines before they did them on the ice. She wore a leotard which exposed her back and a pair of leg warmers with her shrug. She stared at Yoruichi for a second.

Her eyes then set on a tall tanned woman in the corner of the room. Her long black hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. Her formidable shoulders were set broadly and she wore a tight black dress that flared around her knees. Her tall high heels made her taller than she had originally seemed.

Yoruichi pointed at her, "This is a good friend of mine, she's a ballroom dancer and she's here to teach you two a few things for your next routine… Her name's Isabella."

"We've met before… you taught me all about moving my hips…" she shook hands with the woman as they both kissed air next to their cheeks and pulled back.

"What's going on in here?" Ichigo sauntered into the room, his gait that of a stallion, relaxed but full of energy. He had been waiting for their practice all day… because he wanted to be around someone other than Kisuke and Jushiro who insisted upon playing chess all day long, a game they could make last three years.

"It's your newest coach…" Yoruichi grinned and sat down in the corner. Ichigo's eyes settled on the formidable woman. He had never seen her before. After Yoruichi introduced them Ichigo kissed her cheek but instead of taking his hand her hand gripped his crotch. He choked with a blink as the dancer felt him up.

"He's a good one," she said as Yoruichi grinned darkly from behind Rukia. This would be the perfect way to pay them back for improvising without telling her. "Yes… stand up straight," his lifted his chin, straightening his back, folding his arms behind his back, clicking his heels together. Her hand traveled around his stomach and back up his chest to his powerful shoulders and back down his arms. She gripped him by the chin. "Yes… he could be a dancer if he wanted to be…" she pulled away and looked over at Rukia who was fuming. She didn't know why but this woman touching her partner was really bugging her.

"Yes… he is a fine specimen…" Yoruichi snorted and she was joined by Jushiro and Kisuke who disappeared behind a desk, whispering about something.

"Quite a stallion you are…" the woman nodded at him and he smiled slightly. "You have some Italian in your blood?" She lifted an eyebrow.

"Nope… Irish," he replied and she nodded.

"Brutish and rough. Powerful and beautiful… yes… Irish it is…" she nodded and Ichigo's eyes flitted towards Rukia. "You are a beautiful man. An Adonis… yes… you will be good to break in…" Her chocolate eyes twinkled and his mood lightened, she was rather flattering. "Now I want to see the two of you together… assume the original position in your last performed program." Ichigo blinked. That was one position that he had hoped he would never have to do again.

She hooked a leg around his waist. His hands grasping hers, her head tilting back until it touched the ground. Then they felt her push them closer together. "I should not be able to see a gap between your bodies. You should be completely comfortable with your partner." She pushed them together so tightly that they both felt the friction. Ichigo bit back the groan that wanted to be released.

"Can I move now?" Rukia questioned from her upside down position.

"The two of you should set the room on fire, as though you were about to have sex… you two are sleeping together aren't you?" She lifted an eyebrow and they both shook their heads. "Hmmm… strange… I could have sworn, anyways, you two must make love on the ice, you have to show them that you are not afraid of each other and that you're willing to do anything to prove your point," she pushed Rukia's body harder against his and his eyes nearly rolled back into his head. She was pushing them a little far.

"Uhm… if you're not careful he's gonna break something…" Rukia laughed. She was getting a little giddy from having her head held upside down.

" Strip down," they heard the command and they both stared at her as she pointed at them. Rukia looked at her with a blanked expression as she righted herself.

"Naked?" Ichigo blinked.

"No… to your leotards… for you down to your shorts…" he looked down there was no way he was taking his pants off. He knew that under armor shorts weren't the problem… it was any other bodily functions that could possibly happen at such close contact with a woman of Rukia's physical… prowess.

"I… hate spandex…" he grumbled as she laughed, pulling off her shrug and leg warmers. She was immediately handed a pair of high heels.

"You will learn to dance in these… and then you will be able to skate with more poise…" she smiled and Rukia looked at them. This was going to suck.

"Done…" Ichigo was looking off in another direction. Rukia blinked, it wasn't as though she hadn't seen him shirtless before but… her eyes were fixated on him. His body really was magnificent. He was like a marble statue. His long legs were built with muscle and the skin tight shorts clung to him like a second skin. His navel was hardened and an etched waistline led her eyes to slide back down to his... she coughed. His abdomen was solid muscle with a riveted six pack. His pecs stood out slightly, his chest curving down into the slightly concave stomach. His shoulders were broad with his collarbone standing out against his skin, his etched arms muscles flexed as he shifted uncomfortably. She licked her lips unconsciously; he was more delicious in the dim light of the dance studio.

Of course while she searched his, his own eyes took in a feast of his own… of course… he had seen more of her than she him… but… for some reason the dim light in the room toned her more. He saw her black eyelashes graced her cheekbones, the way her breasts stood up slightly, pert and young. The way her legs were placed, one leg, always her right leg, was bent in towards the other, her foot placed on the side. Her muscles were toned and tawny. Flat but powerful. Her legs were long and shaped. She was everything a woman should be. She was rounded hips, flat stomached, beautiful legs, long necked. Jesus… the way he was thinking… he thought he'd end the practice before he even got anything done.

"Good, you two have had a good look at each other… now get into the position that you were in earlier." Isabella motioned. This time the position was more erotic than before. Her muscular leg wrapped around his waist, pressing herself up against him. He gripped her waist this time instead of her hands, letting her dip further back, her head nearly resting on the ground. Their hips junctioned and they both felt it, suddenly they fit perfectly against each other.

"That's it…" she grinned and she hit the button on the radio and they heard the song that they were going to be skating to. "Now…"

&&&

She went through the rest of the week simply thinking about their lessons. She seemed distracted in her classes and her teachers had become worried about her. Friday night when she walked in she realized that the others were already waiting for her in the studio. She threw her book bag down and stripped as she ran. Unfortunately for her she had been forced into a permanent state of Brazilian wax. Yoruichi had told her before that she was going to have to do it since Ichigo had started practicing with her…but she still hated it. Even more unfortunate was that Yoruichi, the day before, had chosen to have a wax done on her period… Rukia had almost screamed at her afterwards when she, Ichigo and Kisuke came to pick her up.

However she was rather glad for it… to have hair coming out of one's leotard was rather embarrassing… she slipped into her heels as she ran into the room. Ichigo was sitting on the ground, in his tight shorts as usual, his arms folded and his legs Indian style. Rukia blinked… why was there no one else there?

"What's going on?" Rukia asked and he looked up.

"They're watching on the other side of the glass…" He motioned and she froze. Could they maintain themselves while the others weren't in the room? The only way she kept her own libido down was by looking at Kisuke or Isabella… but what about Ichigo? Not that she would ever tell him that she was physically attracted to him. His hands were in places in this routine that she most certainly didn't want them… and she knew that it was going to be difficult to keep from slapping him. It was hard enough when they were performing in front of an audience of them… and it was easy to perform in front of a bunch of people… but with only them… and no one else in the room.

"Can we do this?" She blinked. They had easily choreographed the moves in the studio… they would then be incorporated into a skating routine. She stared at him then saw him nod.

"They're trying to startle us into screwing up… we're going to show them the best they've ever seen…" he offered her his hand. He pulled her up against him. Her long lithe body was extended by the heels and he had to pull back on his own reigns… he suddenly became the professional that he was meant to be. The song was fast paced but had the same tone as the slightly slower and longer song that they would be skating to. It was so that they could get the dance moves down before they put them with the throws, lifts and other actions.

He knew the song… it was a salsa song that was fast paced. The point of the song was temptation. That was the point of salsa and tango. The man trying to seduce the woman… and Isabella's dance choreography displayed just that. The starting position was almost deadly for Rukia. He lowered himself down to one knee, his arms curving up around her back. His cheek was pressed against her navel, her back arced back slightly, her legs spread apart.

The music began and they moved, she stood up straight and Ichigo's hands slid down her back across her rear down her legs and back up again, one hand sliding up the other sliding around and between her legs from back to front. His body lifted quickly and they moved in unison. She twisted body, turning her back to him and his hands gripped her waist and she pulled away, sliding a hand along his jaw to pull him closer. He spun her back around and made like he was going to kiss her but their lips brushed as she hooked a leg around his waist, leaning back until her head touched the ground, his lips sliding down her body. She jerked back up and placed a hand on his chest, pushing him back in time. He let a sexy grin flash across his lips and spun her around until her body slammed into his, her back to his front. His hands sliding down her stomach to her navel and further, his hands slid between her legs, spreading them as she lifted up, wrapping her legs around his waist and swinging through his legs, grabbing his hands to flip out behind him and land, spinning away from him. He turned and her hand touched his chest, pushing him back again. He grabbed her and pulled her down across his arm until her head nearly touched the floor, leaning down his lips brushed hers then she spun out of his grasp again.

Then it was her turn to change the tides. She came back, this time following him. Her hands slid down his body, down the slick riveted muscles of his back and his ass as she slid down then back up again, her cheek brushing his crotch. He nearly flinched, this was starting to be too much. Her lips brushed his skin and her leg slid up his leg to hook around his waist as he dipped her back, her breasts pressed against his chest as their eyes locked and the music ended. It was then that they noticed the room temperature had jumped upwards, the sexual tension so great that neither of them could speak.

"AMAZING!" Isabella came in and they disentangled themselves from each other. "I think some of those things won't make it into the routine but… most of them will…" she called her hands and hugged him both.

"Yes… they should be great…" Yoruichi grinned and Kisuke nodded with Jushiro. Ichigo looked over at Rukia but her flushed face was looking in another direction… away from him.

&&&

Hmmm…

Has the sexual tension finally risen enough that they are both aware of it…

Or is Rukia still trying to ignore it?

DUNNO!

If you want to know what song they were dancing to:

Salsa

Artist:

Slumber Party Girls

Shalan


	7. Samba

**Chapter:** Samba

**Shalan's Say: **Sorry it took so damn long for me to update guys! Thanks for coming back! Cause you know I would never actually make you wait a whole month before I updated! XDDD I'm serious…

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Ichigo slid his hands along her calf and thigh as she tilted back, her body parallel to the ground as they slid across the ice. She unhooked her leg and swung out of his grasp, his hand gripping hers as he pulled her close, picking up speed. He pulled her up and threw her into the air. She spun into her quad and landed it as he came closer, she latched her leg around his waist as they slid to a stop, sliding down his body, her lips brushing his nether regions as she slid back up his powerfully muscular stomach and chest to stand again as her breasts pressed against his chest, tilting her back until her leg was the highest thing in the air. His lips brushed her collar bone and she closed her eyes, blocking out the sound, focusing on his lips trying to keep them on her skin. He leaned her back up and she smiled at him, her blue eyes boring into his. Their first real performance in front of a crowd… and they had pulled it off flawlessly. Her chest heaved as she smiled and they waved to the audience. Then he stopped and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her, hard on the mouth.

He pulled away from the stunned woman in his arms and waved to the screaming crowd. He wore a long sleeved black and white jacket. One half was white the other black. His long black pants were woven with shimmery silver. She wore a half white half black costume as well. The white side covered her whole arm and back in white while the black side cut right down the back leaving it "open" with one long sleeve there but her shoulder was "bare" as was part of her breast and stomach. Her black hair was pulled back from her face in a sleek bun. Her cheeks now flushed from his kiss.

Something stirred in his stomach as he watched her wave to the crowd. She was so beautiful… especially when she smiled. He grinned slightly as they slid off the ice to await their scores. He was wrapped up in his jacket as was she. She was shuddering lightly as they sat down. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close as he pressed his face against her tummy. She smiled softly and placed her hands on his shoulders as she tilted her head down as if in a silent prayer. In actuality she was relishing his hot breaths on her crown, his lips being so close to her center.

Their scores were announced and Ichigo perked up. If they could only pull a ten… they would take the competition. Suddenly he heard her squeal as a ten was announced. A perfect ten… impossible… he looked up at her and she pulled him up into a kiss that could have melted the ice rink. His eyes opened in shock as she held him there. Ten. They had won the competition.

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Ichigo laughed as he swung her around in the backyard. They stood out in jeans and hoodies or jackets in Ichigo and Kisuke's cases in the backyard cooking hamburgers.

"Hey! Ichigo do you like your buns toasted?" Kisuke asked off handedly as Rukia and Ichigo danced in a little circle laughing giddily. Even Yoruichi had to lift an eyebrow at that one.

"Of course he likes his buns toasted…" Yoruichi winked at Ichigo and for the first time in a long time he blushed.

"Yeah… toasted is the only way to have your buns…" Rukia teased and pinched his rear. He drew away with a laugh.

"I love my buns toasted…" he laughed.

"You better… because that's the only way I'll have my buns…" Rukia bit back a laugh at the innuendo in this conversation.

"I'll toast your buns miss ten!" He laughed and picked her up again. Her lips met his, her hands gripping the side of his face. She smiled against his lips as his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

"What's going on out he…" Byakuya's voice sounded and he froze, seeing his teenage sister kissing a fully grown man like Ichigo Kurosaki made his blood boil "Get off her!" He jerked Ichigo back and he blinked, looking over at Byakuya. "I know you're celebrating… but she is far too young for you…" He jerked her back into the house. Ichigo stared after her and she shrugged.

"Sorry Bya-nii… we were just celebrating…" He handed her a bouquet of white roses.

"Congratulations…" he smiled. "Now I want you to not do those things with him Rukia…he's just trying to get into your pants… I know how guys like that work…" He looked her in the eye and she dragged her eyes away from his. "Rukia…" He grabbed her face.

"Byakuya… I'm full grown now…" she looked him in the eye and he frowned.

"You're not anywhere near it…" his eyes bored into hers. "I'll stay here for the night… but I don't want to see you anywhere near him… do you understand me?" He told her and she nodded.

"We're partners Byakuya…" she looked him in the eye. "The more I'm around him and the more I learn about him the better our skating gets better…" she told him then turned around and walked off towards the outer door.

"There's nothing you can do… they've begun the slow spiral upwards…" Kisuke told him and Byakuya sighed as he watched his sister laughed with Ichigo.

"I don't want her on any spiral… the worst thing you have to worry about is your daughter losing her virginity to some fumbling teenage boy… I have to worry about my sister losing her virginity to a man that knows exactly what he's doing…" Byakuya frowned and Kisuke shrugged.

"Who says I'm going to have a daughter? I may end up having the fumbling teen age boy…" he laughed as he walked outside to the barbeque.

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Rukia walked into her bedroom and she heard footsteps behind her. He had been watching her all day since their kiss. She chuckled as he cornered her. "What exactly do you think you're doing?" She asked as his lips met hers. He pinned her against the wall. Ever since the first dance without much clothing between them they'd had a hard time keeping their hands off each other.

"I'm taking what's mine…" he whispered back as he lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. His lips met hers hard and they quickly descended into a searing kiss. He moaned into her mouth as she panted against his lips.

"You're the one that's mine Kurosaki…" she whispered as their lips met again, her fingers tangling through his hair as his hips ground into hers. "Hmmm?" One of her eyes opened. "Hm Hm!" She panicked and pulled away from Ichigo who turned his head, pissed that someone else had interrupted him.

"Hello…" Bella's eyebrows went up as she looked in the room. She was a beautiful woman with long dark hair and brilliant emerald eyes.

"Bella… h-wha…" she dropped her legs from around Ichigo's waist. "Ichigo… this is my brother's… uhm… thing…" she pointed and Ichigo lifted an eyebrow.

"I'm his girlfriend…" she smiled and Ichigo's jaw dropped. Rukia looked over and chuckled, closing his mouth.

"Damn… Byakuya has quite a taste in women…" he laughed as he shook her hand.

"Why thank you…" she smiled at him. "So you're the stallion that Isabella was talking about…" she walked towards him and she saw Rukia bristle from behind him. "Hmmm…" She smiled charmingly.

"His name is Ichigo Kurosaki," Rukia repeated and Bella backed away from Rukia's "property".

"My name's Isabella Scott… It's nice to meet you… sorry to interrupt…" she smiled. "Good evening." She hugged Rukia. "Don't do anything stupid…" she whispered in Rukia's ear and she turned red.

"Good evening…" Ichigo followed her out and Rukia sighed, flopping down on her bed. They were never going to get anywhere with everyone walking in on them all the time…

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HEKKOW! Short chapter… but do I smell something lemony? XD maybe…

Shalan


	8. Can You Make Me Love Again?

**Chapter: **Can You Make Me Love Again?

**Shalan's Puddle: **I am a little… overly… excited about this chapter… I loooooooooove this lemon… HURRY! STOP READING THIS AND READ THE CHAPTER

**WARNING ADULT CONTENT: **I REALLY HONESTLY have no idea why the hell that anyone still reads ANY of my stories if they don't like lemons… if you're still reading… and you don't like them… I didn't force you to read it so don't say anything negative… I mean seriously… 

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She slid along the ice backwards and Ichigo followed. Her body was parallel with the ground as she slid with her legs completely spread. He followed and spun landing a double axel easily then grabbing her hand, and spinning her until she stopped. The swing music playing made her laugh, her brilliant smile shining in Ichigo's eyes. He smiled back as they scooted away from each other wiggling their fingers. The music faded into Candyman by Christina Aguilera. It was still a swing and Jushiro smiled, tapping his foot to the music as they free styled, enjoying the moment. He watched them dance and skate across the ice. He smiled a little wider.

"It's his song…" Kisuke chuckled as Ichigo swung her low one of her legs wrapped around his waist.

"That's what Byakuya is afraid of…" Jushiro shrugged and Kisuke nodded. "The thing I don't think he's realized is that… if they are falling for each other… there's no stopping it…"

"I just hope that their guilt for what happened in the past won't stop them from falling… from what I know… she knows about Orihime… but she hasn't said a damn thing about Kaien." Kisuke nearly slapped his forehead. The two of them were so stubborn.

"Sex might actually be the best thing for them right now…" Jushiro noted as they danced, laughing the whole way.

"They have been finding it impossible to stay away from physical contact for very long…" Kisuke folded his arms… "Maybe it would be… especially for their dancing… but they'd never do it… it's them Jushiro…" he sighed. "Let's go get some coffee they'll be out there for a while." He walked off and Jushiro shrugged and walked after him.

She laughed as his lips slid down her neck and collarbone down her cloth covered body. He drew her back up as she nearly squealed in delight with a brilliant smile on her face. His lips met hers as they spun slowly to a stop on the ice. "Kisuke and Jushiro are gone…" she noted then laughed as he pulled her up, jerking her legs around his waist. "What are you planning?" she laughed as he kissed her again, his hands unzipping her jacket and pulling the sleeves down her arms as he slipped the straps of her leotard down her upper arms, pulling it down to expose her breasts to him.

He groaned and dipped his head down, his lips closing around one of the hardened nipples. Her back arced against him as her moan cut through the ice cold air. Their bodies were heated, sweating but the ice around them was cold as sin. It couldn't possibly be more erotic. His fingers tugged on the other, teasing and torturing her. His chest heaved slightly as her moans cut through his ears. Fuck how he wanted her. He ground himself up against her barely covered self, pressing her hips against the barrier of the rink. She arced her back against it as she bucked her hips against him.

Ichigo barely made it into the locker rooms, his legs shaking slightly. They both felt extremely exposed out on the ice, but inside the cool air of the locker room they both felt more comfortable. Ichigo pressed her back against the lockers to hold her there as he reached back and untied her skates, slipping them off. She pushed off the locker door and let her feet drop to the ground and he watched as she pushed him back onto the bench.

"What are you?" He watched as she untied his skates and pulled them off just before removing her jacket. Her fingers made quick work of his work out pants and she ripped them down eagerly. Exposing the heavy bulge in the under armor that kept him warm on the ice. He groaned out loud as she locked her lips over his, her hands sliding across his erection. Why did it have to feel so damn good?

His hands graced over her bare back and shoulders, pulling the leotard straps off her arms and pulling the tight black thing off her. He slipped his own jacket off, the warm fabric draping around her shoulders as she straddled him again, letting him grind himself up against her uncovered body. She slipped her arms through the jacket and wrapped them back around his neck. The mixture of hot and cold was getting to them both.

"I'm a devil in disguise…" she groaned finally in answer against his lips. It was to the point that they couldn't stand it any longer. They needed skin on skin contact… and Ichigo was about to give her just that. He pinned her up against the locker behind her and pulled the tight fabric off, giving a heavy groan as cold hair hit his erection. She reached down and slapped his hand away, keeping him from touching her. She instead had plans of her own. She appeared to know what she was doing. She took him in her hand, making him tilt his head back.

"No more foreplay…" she whispered in his ear. "I want you now…" she pulled his hips up and felt him push into her soaked center. She cried out, her toes practically curling as he thrust in all the way. He was surprised that he found no barriers in her way. She wasn't a virgin… he had suspected it when she had cornered him outside the house. Usually a virgin wouldn't do something like that, something that bold… she had obviously seen a male body before… but who? It bothered him for a moment then as she began to buck her hips against him, egging him on is flew his mind. Her body felt better than he had believed it would, her passage tight and hot, moist around him as his mind flew to nirvana.

She wrapped her legs tighter around him pulling his shirt up as their lips met in a desperate kiss that ended up being a hot opened mouth battle for dominance. His tongue wrapped around hers and she would pull away, frustrating him. His hips ground against hers as he kept the rhythm of their bodies going. She pulled away from him and he could hear her groan out loud, releasing pent up sexual energy. They had waited too long for this. His guttural moan filled her ears as his lips latched onto her neck. Her senses heightened further when his lips closed over the nipple he hadn't gotten to earlier.

"Ich…igo…" she whimpered her hands tangling through his hair. He was wreaking havoc on her body like no other. Her bodily functions were haywire, her mind was blank, her body rocking in rhythm with his as he ground into her.

"Rukia…" he said in reply almost teasingly and she ground as he bucked his hips harder against hers.

"G…" Yoruichi froze in the doorway, her eyes fixated on the scene before her. She was shocked… but not at all surprised. Their faces were painted with ecstasy as their bodies moved in perfect tandem. She smiled, putting her hands on her hips. So they had finally figured it out… that they were perfect for each other… she turned around and stepped out of the room, leaving the two to each other… they deserved it.

Her hands searched his body, or what she could reach of it that wasn't still covered in his t-shirt. Her hands covered his chest and stomach, tracing down as his continuous thrusts kept her body bouncing slightly. He really was a fully grown man, his body formed as though the gods themselves had carved him from stone, but the strength and sexual prowess he possessed were simply overwhelming.

He was a stallion… there was no doubt about it. There was nothing emasculate about him. She brought his lips back to hers as she felt the screw that had been winding in her belly suddenly hit a stopping point. She screamed, her body seemingly trying to swallow him whole as her sweat coated physique tightened around him. She came so hard that he could feel it as he followed her, their bodies chained together as they fell off and over the edge of lust. His hands slid down her sweat soaked body as her hands dragged through his hair, pulling his lips to hers.

They had waited too damn long for this.

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She awoke in his arms, their bodies pressed tightly together. Afterwards they had quickly pulled their clothes back on, realizing that by now the coffee break would be over. But they didn't stop there, once they were sure that everyone in the house was asleep he snuck into her bedroom and proceeded to make love to her all night and into the wee hours of the morning, until their bodies could no longer move… and the only reason they were moving was to satisfy the cravings that they both felt.

They had explored and exploited and uncovered everything about each other and some things about themselves. She had discovered how sensitive her ears were when he had sucked, licked and blew on them. He had discovered that he had far more stamina than he had ever imagined was possible. She had kept him going all night, and it had been beautiful.

She smiled as he slid a hand gently down her face. She smiled and leaned forward, kissing his lips. She had discovered something that pissed him off to no end though. She had found a decided love for being on top, once he had introduced it to her… he was afraid that she would never give his spot back to him.

"Good morning…" she whispered and slid a hand down his chest. He smiled and took her hand in his, knowing where it was going. He tangled his fingers through hers.

"Morning…" he purred back. He had the feeling that this was only the beginning of their relationship… and he also had the feeling… that another ten was just around the corner.

"Shit…" her eyes widened. "What time is it?" She swung her legs over the side of the bed and pulled the sheets off of herself. He leaned on his side watching her in amusement. He propped himself up onto his elbow on his side, the sheets barely clinging to the bottom of his hips.

"I have no idea…" he looked over at the clock. "Noon…" he said offhandedly as she panicked again.

"I'M SHIT LATE FOR SCHOOL!" She dug in her closet and his face lit up with glee… she thought it was a school day.

"Babe…" he tried to get her attention as she panicked. "Honey there's no need to worry…"

"WHAT? My senior year in high school and it's the first time I've ever been late to school!" She panicked and he bit back a laugh, this was just too funny.

"Baby if you'd stop and listen to me for a second…" she turned to look at him and his eye brows were lifted high and his face carved in a crooked smile. "It's the first day of winter break," he pointed at the calendar, "didn't you have finals on Friday?" He asked. "You're done with high school for the rest of your life as of today…" She stared at him blankly.

"What about everyone downstairs?" He lifted a finger, on which was a blue sticky note that Kisuke and Yoruichi left when they left the house for the day. Instructions of what to do around the house and such and what to practice through the day for them to view when they got home… Rukia sighed and he chuckled as she crawled back into the bed.

"There is something that has been bothering me…" His finger invaded the band of the multicolored flannel pants that were tied around her hips. Her tight black tank clung to her waist and breasts as he pulled her closer.

"Mmmhmmm…" she nodded her head as he lowered his head down to kiss her lips.

"Is how you managed to put more clothes back on without waking me up…" he lifted an eyebrow.

"You're a heavy sleeper… and as I remember you also got up and managed to obtain a pair of sweatpants… how'd you do that Houdini? Disappear from my bedroom to your bedroom without being seen?" Her own fingers graced his navel as they dipped into the band of his sweatpants.

"The door to the stairs was closed… I just walked to my bedroom and walked back…" he smiled in return.

"I wonder why they…" her face flushed red as she realized why they had closed the connecting door and he chuckled.

"Yoruichi came in and spoke with me about an hour ago… you seemed to be paying attention but obviously you were still in REM…"

"I was…" she tried to remember… Yoruichi coming in…

"Yeah… I thought so… anyways… she, Jushiro and Kisuke went out to Akron… they'll be gone for about 10 days… your brother and his girlfriend are coming in tomorrow morning to visit… I think he just doesn't want you to be in a house with me by yourself with access to a bed…" he sniggered and she smacked his arm.

"Who needs a bed…" she shrugged and his eyebrow lifted up.

"That's kinda kinky isn't it?"

"Get on the floor and I'll show you how kinky it is…" He suddenly had the feeling that she was teaching him how to love again... could she be the one to teach him?

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XDDDDD I loved writing this chapter… I had so much fun… I hope you all have fun reading it…

Shalan


	9. Healing

**NOTE: READ MY NEW STORY! COMING SOON! ****PLACES TO FALL IN LOVE! ICHIRUKI AND A FEW OTHERS!**

**Chapter: **Healing

**Shalan's Say: **Mmmk… this story… has drawn me in… I like it… from here on out… expect high drama XDDDD and quite a few comments on the double standards that exist in today's society… especially with Byakuya around… XD I was listening to Stolen by Dashboard Confessional while I was writing the fluffy parts… they make me warm and fuzzy…

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Rukia stretched luxuriously, Ichigo's arms wrapped around her waist. She tried to get up but they only tightened and he nuzzled his face into her stomach. "Don't goooo…" he groaned and curled around her warm body. She laughed and let him snuggle up with her. "You smell good…" he grumbled from her neck and she wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you…" she buried her face in his hair. She had discovered that he was something of a snuggle bug and didn't like to leave a spot once he had warmed it up. "But we have to go pick up Byakuya in a few hours…" she chuckled and he bit her neck lightly.

"Yeah… in a few hours… I'm warm…" he complained and pulled her down so that their faces were even. She stroked the side of his face lightly and smiled. Ichigo let her kiss him tenderly before pressing their foreheads together. They had spent most of the day practicing a routine that Isabella had designed for them because they knew they had to get some work done. The nighttime was for them to do their own thing. They had stayed up part of the night watching the Grudge, after which he found he had to kiss the images out of her mind which led to them stripping down on the couch.

"Ichigo…" she laughed as he snuggled against her, his lips brushing her neck as he twisted them into a little ball. Her heart was so deeply entwined with his that she could feel it, she could feel the beautiful pull of his heart towards hers.

"Rukia… I think…" she turned her upper body to face him, her eyes locking with his amber. "I think I'm falling for you…" he whispered and she felt goose bumps rise across her body. He meant it.

"Ichigo…" she choked and he looked up at her, her indigo eyes were filled with tears and he pulled himself up so that his head was even with hers.

"Baby don't cry…" he stroked the side of her face gently, brushing her hair out of her face. "Don't cry…" his hand cradled her head.

"Ichigo…" she said again and the tears spilled over as she buried her face into his chest. He hadn't decided whether this was a good or a bad thing yet.

"Sweetheart…" he tilted her face up and planted a tender kiss on her lips and she smiled, "what's wrong?"

"You're too perfect…" she whispered. "You're this beautiful man, an older man, with a crazy body and a brilliant mind… what's wrong with you? There isn't anything… so why love me?"

"Because… I just do…" he pushed her hair back from her face. She smiled softly. "And there are a lot of things wrong with me… I'm pig headed and I tend to be really rough during practice… did I mention I spend a lot of money or worthless things like expensive cars and random trips to foreign countries… and I lost the woman I loved because of some freak accident…"

"All of that just makes you better…" she nearly laughed. "She must have been amazing…"

"I've been wondering though…" he looked out the window. "Does she hate me for moving on?" A hand touched his chest and he looked back at Rukia.

"If she loved you… then she wanted you to be happy… and if you're happy with me then she's happy for you…" she whispered to him. "His name was Kaien…" she looked down and Ichigo blinked, wondering where that had come from.

"Who?" Then he realized she was talking about the boy he always heard about but never met.

"Kaien… my boyfriend. He died from cancer earlier this year…" she whispered and he realized something else… that was why she had been crying… because she felt the same way he did. "I told him… that I wasn't going to lose my virginity to anyone else… four days before he died he made love to me… he was still strong… the cancer didn't seem to even be affecting him…they took him in to take the tumor out… he died on the operating table…" She paused as the tears overwhelmed her.

"So you weren't… I didn't think so…" his eyes scanned hers. "Why are you just telling me this all now?"

"I didn't think you would care…" she whispered and his face softened.

"Baby don't ever think that…" he pulled her into his grasp again and she let her cheek press against his neck. She felt another wave of hot tears run down her face. She hadn't cried like that since he had died. "And you've been fighting your way through all of that? Dancing and skating with me and going to school and doing everything you've been doing…" he bent his head down and pressed his lips against her hair, knowing that it wouldn't help the pain that she felt… but she hadn't had time to heal properly.

"It got harder to move on… every day something would remind me of him… then you came into my life…" she looked up at him and he blinked slightly. "You with your crazy orange hair and disregard for the rules. I thought you were going to be a pain… but as I got to know you… and as we skated and danced and lived together… I found that… when I was around you… it was easier to move… it was easier to move on…" she smiled almost painfully. "You… came in like a sudden burst of sunshine in my rain filled world… and it felt beautiful… for the first time in a long time… I was able to smile again. I could… see that something was still good in the world…"

"I don't know why…" he chuckled and pressed his forehead against hers. "I can't do anything… to heal your pain… all I can do… is tell you that I'm here for you… if you need me…"

"Thank you Ichigo…" she buried her face into his chest and he sighed. She had been holding all of that in… she really was an amazing girl… to think that she could struggle with her boyfriend's death and learning all of their routines… and going to school…

"If it helps… after my fiancé died… I shut down…" she looked up at him. "Yeah… I couldn't even keep moving… I didn't even leave my house for a year…" She chuckled lightly. "I admit… it was kind of pathetic… but… it had happened so suddenly…"

"I know what you mean… death never comes when you want it too…" she whispered and he nodded, resting his chin on her hair.

"No… no it doesn't…"

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"See look! There they are!" Bella waved as she stepped off the plane with Byakuya in tow. He grumbled something about oh great then followed her.

"Rukia!" He smiled and his sister threw her arms around his neck. "How are you doing baby girl?" He smiled down at her and suddenly saw a hand touch the small of her back and she drew away with a grin. Byakuya nearly scowled. He didn't like that Kurosaki around his sister.

"I'm doing amazing…" she smiled and Byakuya noticed how close she was standing to Ichigo, his hand on her hip, her back resting against the side of his body. His eyes flashed and Bella put a hand on his arm.

"How are the two of you doing?" She smiled and Ichigo shrugged.

"I'm doing fine…" Ichigo's voice was low and soft as his hand gripped her hip lightly. She leaned into the tender touch.

"Yeah…" Rukia smiled up at him and Byakuya let a low growl rise in his throat. "How are you guys doing?" Rukia asked Bella as they walked out to the car.

Ichigo smiled softly as he followed behind the other three… he was finally learning to heal…

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HELLO! That was a cute fluffy chapter… I'm no good at fluff. Sorry…

Shalan


	10. Tippy Toe

**Chapter: **Tippy Toe

**Shalan's Say: **This chapter… should be interesting… I can't wait to see what you guys say about it… XDDD It should be interesting because… I dunno I just think it should be interesting… damn the double standards…

**Warning: **Some light sexual content nothing too bad but you know me…

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Rukia folded her arms behind her head, looking at her computer. "This sucks…" she pressed enter and she was brought to her own fansite. She clicked on the email button that said she had 300 messages. She hadn't checked it in four days… not since she had started making love with her partner. Of course… it had been two days since the last time… she had basically seen him. Her brother had kept a fairly short leash on the two of them ever since he had arrived. "300 emails…" she stuck out her jaw then looked up as she heard footsteps in the hallway, they were soft, almost inaudible but she heard them. The door opened and Ichigo poked his head in then his body followed, shutting the door silently behind him. He quickly made his way across the room as she set her computer on the window seat.

"Ichi-go…" she was suddenly pinned to her own bed his body hovering over hers, his knees between her legs. "He's going to… throw a fit…" she said as his lips met hers but she wrapped her arms around his neck anyways. He was so amazing… who cared? His hands easily pulled her shirt off over her head as he lowered his hips against hers. She gasped as he ground his hips against hers, bucking himself against her. He wanted her, now.

"Get those off…" he growled and pulled off her shorts and her underwear.

"Ichi…" she suddenly felt him jerk her body to the side of the bed and kneel down. His tongue lapped through her folds and her hips jerked. "Ichigo…" She bit her own tongue and her hand reached over as his tongue entered her passage. Her hips rocked, willing him to continue as she bit back another moan, pulling a pillow over her own face. His hands graced her stomach and reached up further, gently teasing her breasts and she moaned louder, trying to hold it in as she buried her face into the pillow to muffle the sound.

She tasted so good… he had missed it. She climbed so quickly upwards… she had wanted this as much as he had. She was ready, and willing for him to continue. He toyed with her a bit longer until he heard her say something. "What?" He looked up at her and pushed her back onto the bed, following her as he pulled his pants and boxers down.

"Kurosaki… do it now… please…" she was begging… his smile widened then he did something she didn't expect. He flipped her over so that her face was pressed against the pillows on her bed. "Fuck you…" she mumbled against the pillow and he smiled lightly.

"You know you want to…" It was quick, he sheathed himself completely into her with one swift movement and suddenly he heard her cry out into the pillow. What a time to try a new position on her. He chuckled lightly and bent over her, flattening his body against hers as his hands cupped her breasts. "Babe… I think I like this one…" his hips began their almost rough rocking movement and she moaned into the pillow as his lips coated her neck and shoulders with kisses. His fingers teased her nipples harshly and she let a husky groan escape her lips.

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A hand tangled through his hair, dragging his black hair back from his face as his lips met hers again. "Are you sure this is a good idea… your sister is right upstairs…" Bella laughed softly as his lips came back down for another kiss. She leaned in as his hand dragged down her body, pulling her bare leg over his waist. She laughed again as he pinned her to the bed hovering over her with a soft smile on his face.

"My sister sleeps like a log…" Byakuya replied as his hands gripped her head gently before their lips met in another hungry kiss. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he lowered himself down to cover her body with his. That was when he heard it. Whispers from the room above. He looked up and his eye twitched.

"What's that?" Bella asked as he stood up and walked out of the room. She huffed and grabbed his shirt, pulling it on over her head and walking after him.

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"You're beautiful in the moonlight… I just thought you should know that…" Ichigo rested his hand against the side of her face, brushing her hair back.

"You've told me that before…" she whispered back as he kissed her with a smile.

"And I'll probably tell you again… you see I suffer from this disorder called all timers… which means that I have no idea what I'm doing most of the time…" she chuckled as he spoke then her eyes opened wide with fear as the door opened.

"Rukia…" Her brother stood in the doorway, shirtless and in a pair of sweat pants… but he was most certainly there. She sighed.

"Busted…" Ichigo sang under his breath.

"You! Out of bed now!" Byakuya told him as pants were quickly drawn up around his waist. The black haired man grabbed Ichigo by the shoulder and threw him onto the floor. "What are you some kind of cheap whore? Sleeping with a man before you're married!" Byakuya fumed.

"Bya-Byakuya!" Rukia spluttered.

"Byakuya." A stern voice spoke from the doorway. They turned to look at Bella who stood in the doorway in nothing but his pajama top. "I need to speak with you…"

"Look who's talking…" Rukia and Ichigo's faces darkened.

"Yeah… looks who's talking…" Bella sounded angry.

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Uhm_… rubs back of head_… sorry about the short chapter but I had to leave you guys hanging because I love you…

Shalan


	11. Double Standard

**Chapter: **Double Standard

**Shalan's Gasp: **OMG I've updated all three stories in three days… aren't you guys happy with me? YAY! Now all I have to do is update the other two and you all will be dancing in your chairs… and perhaps not throwing PSPs around…

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Ichigo sat at the kitchen counter, across from Rukia as they listened to the argument that was going on in the room above them. Rukia flinched as she heard her brother shout from above and Ichigo reached across the table, gripping her hand in his.

"Everything's alright baby…" she looked up into his amber eyes.

"SHE'S A GROWN WOMAN BYAKUYA!" Bella shouted at him. He had originally attempted to avoid this argument as he didn't like shouting matches but had soon realized that there was no way around arguing with her even if he wasn't shouting.

"SHE'S MY LITTLE SISTER! I'M NOT GOING TO HAVE HER TRAPAIZING AROUND WITH ADULT MEN!" He stood across the room from her as she shouted back, her face red and tears dripping down her face. "WHY IS THIS ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS! IF SHE WANTS TO SLEEP WITH HIM SHE CAN MARRY HIM!"

"WE'RE NOT MARRIED!" Silence flooded into his ears as he stared at her. After a few moments he could hear her haggard breathing from shouting and crying. She hiccupped lightly and sniffed as he stared at her.

"Rukia…" Ichigo muttered and within a flash she was in his lap, huddled against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head tenderly as she buried her face into his neck. "Everything's alright…"

"WELL THAT'S YOU AND ME!" He shouted back after a moment of silence.

"WHAT'S THE FUCKING DIFFERENCE?" Bella fumed then swung around, pulling out her suitcase.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Byakuya reached over to grab her as she threw her clothes into the bag.

"I'M LEAVING YOU IDIOT WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE!" His eyes widened.

"Wh-why?" He spluttered.

"Oh so your sister's a whore if she sleeps with someone out of wedlock but it's okay for me to sleep with you out of wedlock because it's YOU? FUCK YOU!" She zipped her back and stormed out, zipping up her jeans as she went.

"What is WRONG with you?" He followed and Ichigo and Rukia watched them storm towards the door with raised eyebrows. From what Ichigo knew of him, shouting wasn't Byakuya's style…

"WHAT DOES THAT MAKES ME HUH? YOU'RE SEX TOY?" He stopped dead in his tracks.

"DAMN IT! DON'T MAKE THIS ABOUT US!"

"IT IS ABOUT US!"

"HOW IS IT ABOUT US?"

"Because Byakuya… I'm doing the same thing she is… and if you don't like women that are like that… then I'll leave…" she slammed the door in his face.

"DAMN IT!" Ichigo followed him as he slammed the door back open and followed her. "BELLA!" He shouted and grabbed her by the arm immediately following a fist connected with the side of his face and, not bracing himself for the surprise attack, he stumbled back into the snow. "K-Kurosaki!"

"I think you… need to settle down…" he stood in front of both women, a fist in his palm. "Yeah, I'm a skater… but that doesn't mean that I'm not still a man… you seem to be forgetting something in this equation… I'm not some punk-ass kid…" his amber eyes gleamed. "I'm just as old as you are…" The oldest Kuchiki's eyes narrowed up at the man above him.

"You're younger than I am…" Byakuya stood up.

"Yeah… by four years," Ichigo nodded. "I suppose I am younger than you… but not by much…" Rukia looked between them then looked at Bella. She seemed to be more upset by this than Rukia was.

"Bella…" The older woman wrapped an arm around Rukia. "Are you alright?"

"I just hope… they don't fight too much…" She said as the other two stared each other down.

"Ichigo'll win…" Rukia smiled.

"You want him to put Byakuya back in his place?"

"Of course I do… He's got to learn his lesson some time… huh…" A car drove up just as Ichigo swung. Byakuya grabbed his fist and swung back connecting hard with the other's face. (Sorry… I hafta to this: WOOOOO! FIST FIGHT! My fangirl just wanted me to!)

"What is going on out there?" Yoruichi asked as Jushiro and Kisuke jumped out of the car hurriedly.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO GET INTO THIS KUROSAKI!" Byakuya earned himself an elbow in the stomach and the younger grabbed him by the arm and flipped him over onto his back. Rukia and Bella sat on him triumphantly. Jushiro ran into Kisuke as he skidded to a stop on the snow. The black haired man groaned from the ground as Ichigo futilely attempted to stop the blood that was now pouring from his broken nose.

"Ichigo!" Rukia jumped up and ran over to him. The others helped him into the house as Yoruichi walked over to Byakuya.

"You wanna explain why you broke one of my skaters' noses?" She asked as she helped him up.

"He was having sex with my sister…" was all the other said. Her eyes softened.

"You were worried about him breaking her heart?" He looked away from her. "Byakuya… you fool… Ichigo Kurosaki's not going to break her heart worth a damn…" he looked back at her. "You know better than anyone that how two people are on the ice is how they should be in real life…" His eyes softened, thinking back. "That's how you and Hisana were…" he huffed and she shook her head.

"I didn't sleep with her before we were married…"

"Those were different times than these…" Yoruichi told him. "She can sleep with him… he's not going to leave her if she gets pregnant…"

"How do you know that?"

"He's been in love before… he knows what it takes…" Byakuya looked away again.

"I've ruined my chance with Bella…" he said sadly then suddenly and ice pack was pressed to his eye. He saw a pair of familiar jeans. "Be-Bella…" Yoruichi passed him off to her and he hung his head, his bangs hiding his eyes. "I'm…"

"Don't." Was all she said as she helped him into the house. "Don't be sorry…" She shut the door behind them. "Just be quiet…"

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The next month was tense for all of them… though none were sure why. Byakuya and Bella had left, apparently she wasn't talking to him anymore. Ichigo and Rukia were practicing almost everyday for competitions and performing almost every week. Kisuke figured they were starting to get tired of seeing each other. But every time they asked the two to go out separately they went out together.

Now that they were together no one was going to separate them. They seemed as happy as a newly wed couple, and Ichigo was smiling more than ever. Jushiro believed it was a good sign for them in the future. The qualifying competition for the Olympics was coming up and it could make or break their career. They had had some troubles with the lifts in their routine but as time went on they picked up the nuances and they made the routine their own, adding flourishes that Jushiro and Yoruichi were surprised at.

Byakuya had begun watching his sister skate more often in practices, even going to the lengths of flying out in his private jet. He asked Rukia and Ichigo up to New York for Christmas and finally gave them his blessing. He was the driving factor behind Ichigo's improved performance. The older had actually gotten out onto the ice and pointed out a few gaps in Ichigo's performance and the younger immediately fixed it.

But what happened next… no one could predict.

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Ichigo grumbled as a knock was heard from the door downstairs. Rukia made to get up and answer it but he tightened his arms around her. "Let Kisuke get it…"

"But Kisuke's gonna tell Yoruichi to let me get it… you should know this by now…" she pulled out of his grasp at which he whined. "Stop…" she said sharply and he fell silent. She padded down the stairs and looked out the door. "Bella?" She gasped as she opened it.

"I'm pregnant."

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MUAHAHAHAHA! Byakuya's got it coming noooow! (insert evil laughter here) sorry to leave you guys hanging… the next one should be some interesting skating and maybe… will they make it into the Olympics? OMGOMGOMG I hope so!

Shalan


	12. Walk Softly and Carry a Big… Uhm… Skate?

**Chapter: **Walk Softly and Carry a Big… Uhm… Skate?

**Shalan's Say:**SORRY GUYS! I know it's been forever since I updated this story! …_sobsob_… anyways please please PLEASE forgive me I have been having the worst time with school and I am actually writing this chapter instead of doing my homework because I don't want to let you guys down… SO LEAVE A REVIEW AND I'LL POST AGAIN! Otherwise I will have no motivation for posting with no reviews… TT.TT

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Rukia frowned, folding her arms as she sat in the kitchen with Yoruichi. The tanned skater hummed lightly as she cooked. "What I don't understand is why a couple of skaters are watching FOOTBALL of all things…"

"Because it's what they wished they were…" Rukia sighed.

"Manly men doing manly things…" Jushiro mocked with a laugh and Yoruichi shook her head.

"What's this about manly men?" Ichigo strutted into the room. "You weren't talking about me were you?" He flashed a smile and Rukia snorted as he kissed her cheek.

"Nope, we were talking about _manly_ men Ichigo…" Bella chuckled from the pantry. She was showing already, only four months into her pregnancy and the swell in her belly was fairly obvious when she wasn't wearing her usual sweatshirt which she had been seen in lately. "Not girly men…" he jutted his jaw and pinched her butt letting her know that he didn't appreciate her calling him girly. She yelped and giggled girlishly. Though he was a skater, that aside, he had to be one of the most handsome men she had ever seen.

"Oooh… poor baby did someone emasculate you?" Rukia sniggered and he turned to her, jutting his jaw again.

"YEAH! ICHIGO THEY SCORED A TOUCHDOWN!" Kisuke called and Ichigo looked into the other room. He had only recently been told of Bella's impending delivery. Of course everyone else had decided to do it the hard way and take forever to tell him that Bella was pregnant.

"Rukia…" Ichigo snuck her out of the room as Kisuke continued shouting. The door to their left opened and they blinked, looking over as her brother stepped out. They grinned sheepishly and Byakuya stepped past them. He had been staying at her house since they had called him out to watch her practice. Ichigo nearly laughed as they made their way up the stairs. He gasped as she slammed him up against the door outside her room. Their lips clashed and he suddenly felt the heat build, her sex drive had suddenly jumped up during the past few weeks.

"You aren't helping me… by dragging me down a dark hallway…" she whispered and he shook his head to clear it.

"Rukia I want to talk to you…" He pulled her into the bedroom and dropped down before her, suddenly she was back out on the ice rink the day before.

"What…"

"When Kisuke interrupted me the other day…" she recalled it, he had stopped their training and had walked off leaving them on the ice, at that moment Ichigo dropped on one knee and Rukia's heart lept. He had begun his sentence but Kisuke had come back before he could finish it.

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Byakuya drummed his fingers on the wall as the girls gathered around the others. Ichigo leaned against the bar, his arms folded as Kisuke grinned, dipping his fingers into the cheese dip.

"So what is it that you want?" Byakuya frowned as Bella giggled with Rukia lightly next to Ichigo.

"I want to tell you something…" Jushiro looked over as the orange haired skater spoke. Ichigo grinned almost childishly.

"Then speak Kurosaki…"

"Rukia and I are getting married." A squeal came from Yoruichi and Bella, already knowing the news, as Byakuya's temper flared.

"AB-ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Byakuya roared.

"I think you have your own problems to worry about…" as Ichigo spoke it was almost like a slow motion video. They all knew what was coming next. The others moved slowly across the room, hands out reached to try and keep him from telling Byakuya that Bella was pregnant. RUkia's hand slapped his mouth first, then Bella's, Yoruichi's, Jushiro's and Kisuke's respectively. But they were too late. The black haired man hit the floor, hard. They all saw that in slow motion as well. His eyes opened wide in shock then rolled back into his head as he fell like a sack of potatoes to the floor.

"That went over well…" Jushiro blinked as Kisuke and Ichigo immediately burst into hysterical laughter.

"I wouldn't laugh Ichigo…" Rukia looked at him and he blinked. "After all… I'm pregnant too…" her face split into a joyous grin as the other two girls wrapped her in a group hug. Kisuke, fingers in mouth, watched as Ichigo fell to the floor with his future brother in law then smiled, fingers in mouth like a little kid. Jushiro looked over at him, counting in his mind.

"Kisuke…" He burst into laughter that all of the girls figured he was going to choke himself as he removed his fingers. "I'm pregnant too…" Yoruichi said and Kisuke immediately joined the other two on the ground. Jushiro scratched his head as the girls laughed together.

"One… two… three _strokes_ you're out…" he quipped as he counted them out.

"TOUCHDOOOOOOOOOWN!" The TV screamed from the other room.


	13. Kentucky Fried Kisuke

**Chapter: **Kentucky Fried Kisuke

**Shalan**** is ****Magnif**OOOH! Magnifique! I am so COOOL! NOT! But anyways… I give you… Drum Roll Please! AN UPDATE!! OMIGOD! Sorry it's taken me so DAMN long… read and review or I eat your face…

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Ichigo folded his arms across his chest, sitting cross legged on their bed as he stared his 18 year old fiancé down. "There's nothing I can do about it Ichigo…" her eyes were sad.

"Rukia, there isn't a problem… I'm just worried about you and your chances to go to the Olympics…" he frowned. They had been arguing almost nonstop since she had told him she was pregnant, about what they were going to do about skating.

"My chances? Ichigo you can't skate a doubles competition by yourself…" she folded her arms. "Look I'm not that far along… we can practice until I get too big to and then I can take a few months off. Once I've had the baby we'll just pick up where we left off…" she offered her hand.

"Rukia… you can't endanger the baby like that…" Ichigo stared her down. "I've got final say on this…"

"You're not carrying the baby…" she shot back and he fell silent, they were right back to where they had started.

"Rukia… baby please…" his eyes grew soft and she turned around to face him as he unfolded himself and stood up. "Please just listen to me…"

"No… you listen to me…" She demanded. "I am not going to give up my dream just because I'm pregnant… Ichigo if I start struggling I promise that I'll quit until the baby is born… but please don't make me stop doing what I love…" her hands slipped through his, lacing their fingers together. His eyes met hers, she had made up her mind, there was no changing it now.

"I…" his eyes softened. She squeezed his hand.

"Don't tell me you're regretting your idea to sleep with me…" her blue eyes sparkled mysteriously. Ichigo frowned down at the little woman.

"I would never regret sleeping with you… I am going to regret throwing around a pregnant woman…" she folded her arms.

"We haven't even got the major STEPS set up yet… and even then we have all summer to set them up…" She told him pointedly. "The baby will be born before the Olympics… and the baby will be born in time for us to practice… do you understand me?" She poked his chest and he looked off to the side.

"Alright… I understand… but how are you going to tell the baby that?" He teased and she slapped his arm.

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For the past month, since all three men had been told that they were going to be fathers, something strange had been happening… it seemed that the men had been taking the women's symptoms from them.

"Get _away_…" Ichigo grouched as Kisuke scrunched into the car happily next to him. Byakuya groaned from next to Ichigo, clutching a bottle of Sprite and a package of crackers.

"Why are you three so antagonistic today?" Jushiro muttered as he sat in the back next to the ever growing Bella. Her belly was now roughly the size of a watermelon.

"Why are we going to Kentucky again?" Ichigo grumbled under his breath.

"Because Kisuke wants REAL fried chick-chick…" Byakuya choked as he looked over at the sandwich that Rukia was eating. He hurriedly opened the bottle of Sprite and gulped some down.

"Chick-chick?" Kisuke chuckled and elbowed Ichigo who tried to bite him. They made their way, over 1,000 miles in order for Kisuke to buy a single bag of fried chicken. When they returned to Colorado everyone in the car was tired of each other… Which wasn't surprising…

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Ichigo stood solidly on the ice, standing a few feet away from her. She hung limp at the waist, her ponytail brushing the ice. The music started and she jerked up as he moved his hands. It wasn't perfectly timed yet but it would work. She jerked into standing, her knees out to either side of her. He motioned and her knees went together, prepared to skate she took off as he did.

"ALRIGHT NOW THROW!" Jushiro shouted and Ichigo picked her up by her waist and lifted her, spinning across the ice. They slowed and Ichigo swung her down to her feet and they glided, she backwards.

"You have to throw me for real next time…" Rukia whispered in his ear and she heard his breathing hitch. "I trust you…" She whispered and Ichigo kissed her neck tenderly.

"THROW!" Jushiro called and Kisuke unconsciously crossed his fingers. Ichigo let her go and she spun through the air. 1-2-3-4… she landed it perfectly, gliding backwards then picking up speed to meet Ichigo in the middle. Jushiro, Kisuke and Yoruichi gave a unanimous sigh of relief.

Rukia paused in front of Ichigo and he lifted his arms as she did the same, her body limp. He placed his hands on her waist and she jerked up slightly, he spun them across the ice, her body straightening up as they went. He unconsciously placed a hand on her swelling stomach. He could feel her getting more tired by the second. He stopped and she blinked, stopping with him.

"We have to stop there for today…" Ichigo told the others and Rukia turned around to face him and he looked down at her. Her eyes met his and she leaned against him. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her gently.

"I'm sorry Ichigo…" she whispered, leaning against him as they drove home. He smiled over at her.

"It's okay… good thing I noticed that you weren't doing well…" Ichigo replied, lacing his fingers through hers as he drove.

"I wanted to keep going…" she closed her eyes and he nodded.

"I know baby, I know… but we can't all be invincible…" Ichigo told her as they stopped at a red light. The light turned green and Ichigo drove through only to hear the screeching of tires. He threw himself across the seat to pull Rukia into his arms as their car flipped over.

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When Rukia came to she looked over to see Ichigo sitting next to her, a long gash across his cheek and a few other scratches but ultimately unharmed. She reached out and touched his hand. He jumped and looked over at her.

"Rukia…" he leaned over and buried his nose in her neck. She blinked and stroked the side of his face.

"Ichigo…" she whispered. "What's…" she couldn't feel it anymore… the tiny little heart beat in her stomach. "No…" her eyes squeezed closed and he kissed her neck tenderly.

"Rukia… come here…" he wrapped his arms around her and her tears dripped onto his shirt. She buried her face into his chest. "I'm sorry baby… I'm so sorry…" he whispered and she sobbed harder, screaming silently into his chest.

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I have another chapter to post after this one… I'll post it soon… maybe later tonight if you ask me for it…

Shalan


	14. Fragile… Her Solo Performance

**Chapter: **Fragile… Her Solo Performance

**Shalan's Shout Out: **Rukia's going to have her first solo performance since they began skating together… it may make her realize that she needs him more than anything else in the entire world… will it?

**WARNING:** Adult Content

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Ichigo laced his fingers together… his forehead pressed against his fists. Kisuke patted his shoulder. Rukia had avoided him for a good month since the accident and he was ready to break down. She had already told him that she knew it wasn't his fault… she told him that she needed time to think… and to recover from the terrible thing that had just happened to her.

He sat in the dark of the freezing ice ring. His eyes squeezed tight. He picture her laugh in his mind, her smile glittering in the moonlight as he swung her around at the barbeque… her touch, light as a feather on his skin. He squeezed his eyes tighter when he suddenly felt a hand touch the side of his face. A pair of lips brushed his and he smiled.

"Rukia…" He whispered only to have her pull away. He heard her skate back across the ice. He closed his eyes again and smiled. She was still there… Suddenly the lights turned on in the rink and the enormous crowd blinked as they dimmed again, so that a single beam of light was focused on the first skater of the night. Rukia stood in the middle of the ice, one foot out to the side of her body, her arms curved around herself like a cocoon.

Her dress was shimmering white, she appeared to be dressed in diamonds. The skirt was laced with silver strings and hung somewhere near mid-thigh. The long sleeves were held up by a loop around her middle finger. Her long black hair was pulled back in a sleek side-bun, shiny diamonds attached to her hair. The bodice of the dress appeared to be sheer and a white strapless leotard could be seen beneath it, her sleeves also sheer. The opening notes began to play and Ichigo felt his heart sink. He knew the song all too well.

_If blood will flow when fl__esh and steel are one__, drying in the colo__r of the evening sun__… _Sting's song echoed over the speakers. Rukia swirled in a circle, her hands pressed to her heart. She skated a straight line, lifting her leg and pulling it up to touch the back of her head. She skated past the audience backwards and reached a hand out to Ichigo as she flew past him.

_Tomorrow__'__s rain will wash the stains away, but something in our minds will always stay, perhaps this final act was meant, to clinch a lifetimes argument._"I know…" he whispered as she spun faster, swinging into a tight ball, continuously. Ichigo bit his knuckle, wanting to touch her, to hold her and tell her that everything was alright.

_That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could, for all those born beneath an angry star, lest we forget how fragile we are._ Rukia felt tears prick in her eyes as she listened to the music. She kept her form and glided along the ice… her heart was lifting… out on the ice… she wasn't Rukia Kuchiki the woman who had just gotten into a car accident… she wasn't the woman who had just lost a child… no… she was Rukia Kuchiki… the woman who inspired people to do their best no matter what… she was Rukia Kuchiki… the world class skater…

_On and on the rain will fall, like tears from a star like tears from a star, on and on the rain will say, how fragile we are how fragile we are._ He had told her that she couldn't run from everything on the ice… but here she was… doing just that… her eyes locked into his as suddenly everything was okay… he was there for her no matter what… She watched his face as she slid backwards then skated to pick up speed. Ichigo bit his knuckle again. She was going into the quad.

_On and on the rain will fall, like tears from a star like tears from a star, on and on the rain will say, how fragile we are how fragile we are, how fragile we are how fragile we are_… she swung her body up and flew into the air. Ichigo held his breath, waiting to see if she would land it. He heard her skates hit the ice and he let his breath escape his lips as she landed in the middle of the stadium. The stadium burst into applause.

Ichigo jumped the barrier and slid in his shoes over to her.

"It seems that Miss Kuchiki's usual partner, Ichigo Kurosaki, is rather worried about her… Is it just rumor or are they getting married?" The television announcer turned to his partner.

"From what I've been hearing they are getting married… after the car accident that cost them their baby they haven't been talking much though… hopefully this will bring them back together." She smiled as Ichigo wrapped his arms around her, waiting for her scores.

"I love you Rukia…" He whispered and kissed her behind her ear tenderly and she smiled, leaning against him.

"I love you, Ichigo…" she giggled and he buried his nose into her neck.

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Rukia tangled her fingers through his hair their lips clashing together for the first time in a month and a half. His pants dropped with hers as he shredded his way through her leotard. She ripped his shirt open, dragging her fingers down his smooth chest His lips clasped over her nipple and she nearly screamed. It had been too long since he had been anywhere near her.

Much later into the evening Ichigo watched her sleep, her head resting in the crook of his arm. She smiled in her sleep, her breath raising her chest and lowering it. He smiled and nestled his head into her neck. "I love you Rukia…"

"I know you do…" she whispered in reply.

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There will be another chapter soon… just review me and I will appease you XDD

Shalan


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